2025-26 Relegation thread

[ageoftherover]

The question is, would relegation make it more, or less likely that Venkys would sell up?

[JHRover]

3 minutes ago, ageoftherover said:

The question is, would relegation make it more, or less likely that Venkys would sell up?

In the past I don't think it would have made a drop of difference, they'd have just stomached the additional cost and continued with it like they did after relegation from the PL and last time they took us out of the Championship.

So they'd probably do similar this time around, although in 2017 it did at the very least result in a shift in the way they were running the club.

But since then there has been a major cutback to their financial input and running of the place. I suppose it depends on how much of that is just voluntary and how much is forced. If they simply can't continue funding large losses and are on the precipice there's a hope relegation will be the final tip over the edge they need.

It's only a hope, not an expectation. I expect this lot will just sell 2-3 players to plug the gap and carry on.

[roverblue]

I think the biggest difference maker we can make as fans is to not buy a season ticket for next year.

Simple to do, hits them right in the pocket and will panic the club when they realise they will be playing in an empty stadium.

[MarkBRFC]

1 hour ago, ageoftherover said:

The question is, would relegation make it more, or less likely that Venkys would sell up?

Exactly the same I reckon.

They aren't going anywhere, ever.

Costs will just be cut to be comparative with being a level lower.

[dallydally]

15 minutes ago, roverblue said:

I think the biggest difference maker we can make as fans is to not buy a season ticket for next year.

Simple to do, hits them right in the pocket and will panic the club when they realise they will be playing in an empty stadium.

Agreed. I've been saying this for the last two years!

[...]

20 minutes ago, roverblue said:

I think the biggest difference maker we can make as fans is to not buy a season ticket for next year.

Simple to do, hits them right in the pocket and will panic the club when they realise they will be playing in an empty stadium.

We can't get everyone to boycott 🤷‍♂️

[G Somerset Rover]

12 minutes ago, MarkBRFC said:

Exactly the same I reckon.

They aren't going anywhere, ever.

Costs will just be cut to be comparative with being a level lower.

But when the assets run out - which they pretty much have apart from Toth and Alebiosu, they’re going to have to put their hands in their own pockets - albeit at a lower level. I can’t see them doing that for too long unless said costs drop dramatically.

[Silas]

Looking at the goals after 90th minute league table again:

22		West Brom	28	0	24	4	0:4	-4	24
23		Sheff Wed	27	0	23	4	0:4	-4	23
24		Blackburn	27	0	21	6	0:6	-6	21

 

3 teams there that have conceded 14 goals in total in that small period, and not scored a single one. 

Feels like bad luck when it happens, then I look at the 10 game form table:

22		West Brom	11	3	0	8	14:23	-9	9
23		Blackburn	10	1	5	4	8:14	-6	8
24		Sheff Wed	10	0	3	7	6:21	-15	3

Oh look, same 3 teams dropping like stones, hurtling towards the trap door. 

Not bad luck is it. It's just being rank bad at all facets of the game- ball retention, game management, set pieces, general defending etc. 

[ageoftherover]

Fwiw (not much), I think if we drop to League 1 there'll be funds available to get us back to the Championship. I'd say that's the level at which its most profitable for the people who actually run the club.

[StHelensRover]

3 hours ago, Silas said:

Looking at the goals after 90th minute league table again:

22		West Brom	28	0	24	4	0:4	-4	24
23		Sheff Wed	27	0	23	4	0:4	-4	23
24		Blackburn	27	0	21	6	0:6	-6	21

 

3 teams there that have conceded 14 goals in total in that small period, and not scored a single one. 

Feels like bad luck when it happens, then I look at the 10 game form table:

22		West Brom	11	3	0	8	14:23	-9	9
23		Blackburn	10	1	5	4	8:14	-6	8
24		Sheff Wed	10	0	3	7	6:21	-15	3

Oh look, same 3 teams dropping like stones, hurtling towards the trap door. 

Not bad luck is it. It's just being rank bad at all facets of the game- ball retention, game management, set pieces, general defending etc. 

No you're completely wrong it's all the fault of referees and the EFL who just hate us, nothing to do with actual football, tactics, signings, fitness, nouse and guile.

[StHelensRover]

1 hour ago, ageoftherover said:

Fwiw (not much), I think if we drop to League 1 there'll be funds available to get us back to the Championship. I'd say that's the level at which its most profitable for the people who actually run the club.

I'm not sure. Last time we dropped down, the squad was probably too good for League One and we got the right manager at the right time, everything aligned/clicked and we managed to bounce back straight away with a little bit of smart investment as well that summer. I think that was quite unusual and we got very lucky with how things fell. It was a great season, our record ever points haul I think. Our only enjoyable season under the Venkys, and we never should have been down there.

I think the chances of that happening again are slim. Some big clubs in the last 20 years have spent ages trying to get out of that division and it will be our turn this time. Bolton, both Sheffield clubs, Leicester, Leeds, Forest, Bolton, Huddersfield, Charlton, Sunderland. All had to spend a fair while down there when on paper they're all big enough clubs that you would expect them to bounce straight out. Now consider our hapless owners, I think we'll be stuck there for years. 

Edited yesterday at 15:20 by StHelensRover

[sharpysharps86]

1 minute ago, StHelensRover said:

I'm not sure. Last time we dropped down, the squad was probably too good for league one and we got the right manager at the right time, everything aligned/clicked and we managed to bounce back straight away. 

I think the chances of that happening again are slim. Some big clubs in the last 20 years have spent ages trying to get out of that division and it will be our turn this time. Bolton, both Sheffield clubs, Leicester, Leeds, Forest, Bolton, Huddersfield, Charlton, Sunderland. All had to spend a fair while down there when on paper they're all big enough clubs that you would expect them to bounce straight out. Now consider our hapless owners, I think we'll be stuck there for years. 

No chance the club bounces back straight away with how it is run these days. Recruitment will continue to be mostly miss rather than hit, Suhail and Gestede will continue to dig themselves a bigger hole, and if Ismael is still in charge then I imagine the players he's left with will have been gutted of all confidence by him.

Club needs a mass overhaul, like what Ipswich got when they got new ownership and brought in McKenna.

[Upside Down]

11 hours ago, JHRover said:

In the past I don't think it would have made a drop of difference, they'd have just stomached the additional cost and continued with it like they did after relegation from the PL and last time they took us out of the Championship.

So they'd probably do similar this time around, although in 2017 it did at the very least result in a shift in the way they were running the club.

But since then there has been a major cutback to their financial input and running of the place. I suppose it depends on how much of that is just voluntary and how much is forced. If they simply can't continue funding large losses and are on the precipice there's a hope relegation will be the final tip over the edge they need.

It's only a hope, not an expectation. I expect this lot will just sell 2-3 players to plug the gap and carry on.

My suspicion is there was some sort of incentive for them being able to dump huge amounts into the club books. Since the investigation they've been under the spotlight and the money has dried up. 

Remember, they were absolutely determined to relegate the club from the premier league and have it stagnating in the championship for 15 million a year until 2022, which was when they were under investigation.

[davulsukur]

Relying on our former manager and half of our former team to put WBA to the sword tonight to keep them in the mire with us.

Desperate stuff.

[wilsdenrover]

Will we save West Brom or will they save us?

[davulsukur]

Just now, wilsdenrover said:

Will we save West Brom or will they save us?

Despite being 1 down, they look significantly better than we have done in our last 2 games.

[wilsdenrover]

1 minute ago, davulsukur said:

Despite being 1 down, they look significantly better than we have done in our last 2 games.

Losing when playing well isn’t a good sign.

Admittedly losing and playing as shit as us is worse.

[davulsukur]

They've just equalised in the 95th minute

Edited 1 hour ago by davulsukur

[StHelensRover]

14 minutes ago, wilsdenrover said:

Losing when playing well isn’t a good sign.

Admittedly losing and playing as shit as us is worse.

Like when we were fed all that guff at the start of the season about expected goals and all the rest of it. "The stats show we're better than our results" - nope, never been true in football. The table is the table and you get what you deserve. 

[StHelensRover]

2 minutes ago, davulsukur said:

They've just equalised in the 95th minute

We just don't have the guts to get results like that, it's often us shipping in the 95th min. I think WBA, eventually, like Norwich, will pull away from the chumps (us, Pompey and Oxford).